The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-08

In 1851. That was q general command
under the authority OF the President
OF the Confederate Slater, the consti-
tutioral Commander-in. Chief OF the
army. 1t was not in the power OF
Congress, except by impeachment, to
abridge or assume the authority with
which the President was invested by
the constitution. The official aud
personal relations between Gen. Lee
and myself remained unchanged; he
consulted me as before, and the fiend.
ship which be gan when we wers CO.
dets was only made closer and firmer
by our common hopes, anxeiies and
trials in deferses of a cause to VIII ch
both Rad pledged person and property
and whatever nbition might hive
anticipated from the rsputa ioa gained
in ths service of the United States.
After the ma lDar If vulgar an,
Gen. Wolseley refers to the promotion
Of officers, constitutional iunct on
the President and the Senate of he
Confederate Safes, as the acts Of Mr..
Davis, and his language implies that
it was q power cf which Con. L
was deprived, and that his mi itary
policy was embarrassed by this same
Mr.. Davis. Where Gan. Wtlseley GOT
the material bis structure unim-
portsnt. 1t matters not whether it
was obtsined where he learned his
nomenclature, or was evolved ( ON
his internal consciousness as it ID not
true in tie sense and for the purpose
for which 1t was presented. Though
the law OF our organization required
the President to nominsts aud "by
and with the advice and consent OF
the Senate" 10 appoint officers, the
nominations were made usually on the
official reports q I'D the recommends.
ton OF the general commanding the
army In which the officer was to serve,
10 Gen. Lees army, l am quite sure,
no promotions we're made without his
special recommendation, and no sub.
ordinate retained in his army whom he
reported to be incapable. For the
foregoing reasons Gen. Wolseley could
not have got his ideas from Gen. Lee /;
but all doubt, if any existed, must give
way before the conclusive force OF Gen.
Lees testimony before the grand jury
in Richmond.
Soon after the close OF the war,
grand jury found bills of indictment
against Gen. Lee aud myself. Gen.
Grant with msnly integrity and sol
dierly pride, insisted that he had &C.
cepted the parole of Gen. Lee, and
could not consent to his arrest and
trial in violation of the pledge on
which the parole was given. The
United States Government suspended
the prosecution Of Lee, but in order to
improve the Indictment against me,
impa neled another grand jury, and
summoned Gen. Les as witness, by
whom to establish overt acts done by
me, which might sustain the ind CT
ment for treason against the United
States.
If it was expected that Les would
seek fa'ety by transferring to me any
responsibility which was bis own, the
expectation belonged to lower stand
aud OF honesty and chivalry thin that
by which Gen. Lee was governed. To
the inquiries whether he was not act
ing under my instructions, enumerat-
ing several of his movements and bat
ties, he answered that he had always
consulted me when it was practicable
to do so, and that we had slv avs final
ly reached the same COD clusion on any
question we discussed. That his &C.
tons had therefore been in conformity
to his judgment, and he could not say
that he would have acted differently
if there had been no conference with
me, and must therefore himself bear
the responsibility attaching to his acts.
Substantially thus spoke Lac when
less able man might bave availad Of
the opportunity to avoid danger by
transferring the responsibility to one
on whom it would certainly gladly be
placed. He met me immedia ely after
leaving the jury room, and reported
whist had occurred there. Enough has
been given above to show that he
never felt embarrassed in his military
affairs by my interference, or az
grieved by the withholding from:him
OF any power which belonged to him
as a general, commau ding one or many
many armies.
In the comparison instituted be-
tween the cases of Gems. Washington
and e, and the hypothesis of Mr..
Davis, the first impression made was
how very pueIile, and then, unable to
realize that a British fficer of high
grfde clu'd be SO ignorant of the
many important differences in TIE
cRses, the question occurred, why he
should be 80 perverted and spiteful
against one who does not remember
ever TO have eeen him, or to have felt
any interest 10 him, except when re.
port created the unreaizsd hope thai
he would save Gen. CHARLES Gordon
from impending sacrifice.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
BEAUvoIR. MIss Nav 5 h.